'Big Box' Stores May Not Install Gas Appliances Safely
Maryland investigation finds two-thirds of gas water heaters not properly inspected
10/11/2011 | By Truman Lewis
|
ConsumerAffairs.com
| Homeowners
Consumer officials in Maryland say they have found big box retailers failing to perform follow-up inspections on gas appliances that they have sold and installed.
The investigation revealed that two-thirds of the gas water heaters sold during the tested time periods in 2010 and 2011 in Montgomery County, a Washington, D.C., suburb, by four of the large, “big box” stores had not been properly inspected following installation, posing a potential safety hazard and depriving customers of services they paid for.
The county's consumer protection director, Eric Friedman, said that
Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears and hhgregg use subcontractors to perform the installations but don't always follow up to ensure that the installations were done properly.The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) requires that only licensed plumbers/gas fitters can install gas appliances. They must get a permit prior to installation and schedule an inspection by WSSC within five days following the installation.
Laws vary around the country but good safety practices require that any installation involving gas be performed properly to prevent potential fires and explosions.
Friedman said that in "the majority of cases, permits were purchased for installation but requests for inspection were never received by WSSC."
Retailers reminded
Following the Maryland investigation, the four retailers were asked to work with their subcontractor plumbers to have the gas water heater installations from 2010 and 2011 inspected and to take steps to ensure that future jobs are scheduled for inspection within five days of the installation.
WSSC is urging consumers to insist that a permit is obtained when they have a gas appliance installed and that an inspection is scheduled promptly afterwards.
“Because of the finding that a majority of installations have not been inspected, we need to review the procedures and take proper steps to ensure that our residents are protected,” said Friedman. “The first step is to create a safety inspection committee comprised of representatives of the retail, insurance and plumbing industries, Montgomery and Prince George’s Fire-Rescue, the public and WSSC to consider ‘best practices’ for the regulation and inspection of gas appliances."
Tim Jackson (Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:02:08 +0000): The lowest price isn't always the best value. Big Box Stores sell inferior quality products compared to what a Plumbing Professional sells. Our products our made different than the Box Store brands, hence the price difference. They have a lot of plastic parts where ours are brass or metal. Buy quality, buy American, buy locally from someone you can trust.